1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an egg-sugar concentrate which may be preserved and stored for long periods without deterioration and to a process for preparing the same.
2. Discussion of the Background
The present invention is directed to a method for preparing an egg concentrate which can be preserved and stored for long periods of time. Normally, egg concentrates have poor preservation properties and are, therefore, difficult to store in concentrated form for a long period of time without losing their original qualities of taste, smell, etc.
It has been proposed to preserve the egg concentrates by evaporating a mixture of eggs and glycerol to obtain a paste consistency (Netherlands Patent Specifications 20,929 and 48,365). The mixture may also contain, if desired, an acid salt.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,446 discloses a process for preparing egg concentrate which allows one to avoid the use of glycerol. Evaporation of egg concentrates containing glycerol is time consuming and may take from 2 to 3 days. Large amounts of glycerol are less desirable for human consumption, and are particularly undesirable for baking compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,446 avoids the use of large amounts of glycerol by preparing an egg concentrate containing an effective amount of sugar, pasteurizing the mixture and then evaporating a major portion of the chemically unbound water under vacuum. While allowing one to avoid the use of large amounts of glycerol, this process has the disadvantage that the final product is not stable due to sugar crystallization. Heavy sediments of crystallized sugar may occur within a period of 1 to 3 months. The occurrence of crystallized sugar changes the structure of the product and reduces the possibility for use of the product in further processing. The egg/sugar product has a somewhat limited storage life of only about 3 months.
A need exists for an improved egg concentrate having a longer storage life time. Preferably, the egg concentrate should be stable and not subject to premature sugar crystallization.